Cape river gauge: Expect quick rise and steep fall

The crest forecast graph for the Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau resembles a roller coaster with a gradual rise over the next five days followed by a steep drop next week.

Starting today, the National Weather Service (NWS) forecasts the river, which had fallen to just above 12 feet on the Cape Girardeau riverfront gauge Monday afternoon, will rise about a foot a day between now and Saturday morning, when it is expected to crest a fraction below 18 feet.

After that, the National Weather Service office in Paducah, Kentucky, expects the river level on the Cape Girardeau riverfront to fall almost as quickly as it is cresting this week. By the end of next week, NWS states the river gauge at Cape Girardeau will measure below 12 feet and continue falling for at least several days after that.

Of course, river level forecasts could vary based on the amount of rainfall north of Cape Girardeau draining into the Mississippi River basin.

The river’s expected low-water mark in early February of about 11 feet will still be around a foot higher than gauge reading of about 10 feet the river reached in December and roughly 2 feet above the minimum 9-foot channel depth the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintains for river navigation.

About a year ago, on Feb. 10, the gauge reading at Cape Girardeau was recorded at 9.03 feet. The lowest reading on the Cape Girardeau gauge in the past decade was Oct. 14, 2012, when the river fell to 4.86 feet.

According to NWS records, the lowest river gauge measurements ever recorded at Cape Girardeau were 0.6 feet Jan. 15, 1909, 0.8 feet Feb. 1, 1902, and 1 foot recorded Dec. 27, 1897.

Flood stage at Cape Girardeau is 32 feet. The river’s record crest of 48.86 feet was recorded Jan. 2, 2016.

More information may be found by clicking the “weather” link on the Southeast Missourian’s website, www.semissourian.com.

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